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Imperial Cult
The term Imperial Cult is one that holds a double meaning within Fastheld; one of which relating to the concept of the Empire as a living entity, with the other making reference to the decentralized beliefs regarding the Light as a faith as made popular by the former Emperor's Blades and the Nobility of Fastheld during the rise of militant zealotry within the Church of True Light between 500 ATA and 627 ATA. *'Imperial Cult as a Faith' The first use of the term "Imperial Cult" denotes the separation between the Light as a faith preached by the Church of True Light, and the Light as a faith as viewed by officers of the former Emperor's Blades. As rampant zealotry within the Church of True Light began to gain momentum, and as the Church itself began a shift into a more militant organization, conflict between the Scourges of the Church and the Bladesmen of the Emperor's Blades also began to rise. Central to this conflict was the issue that what the Church of True Light were now preaching ran directly opposite to the beliefs and morals of the Emperor's Blades. This included, but was not limited to, Scourges directly dismissing the efforts of the Emperor's Blades as trivial matters, even though the Emperor's Blades were at the forefront of all operations designed to protect and serve the people of Fastheld, as well as the discontent among Blades who would seek to help people purely for reasons of compassion and justice as they believed the Light to stand for, only to see those efforts undone by Scourges who would later antagonize those very same citizens in the name of the very same divine entity that the Blades believed they were doing proud. Thus did a shift occur between the increasingly less popular rhetoric of the Church and the more pragmatic and encapsulating views upheld by the officers of the Emperor's Blades based on real-life situations and experiences. In the end it was the pragmatic beliefs of the officers of the Emperor's Blades that spread into the consciousness of Nobles and Freelanders alike, creating the term "Imperial Cult" to mark these beliefs as similar, yet less restrictive, of those of the Church. By the time the Church of True Light was dissolved in 626 ATA, the core aspects of belief system of the "Imperial Cult" had been adopted by much of the population. *'Imperial Cult as a Concept' The second use of the term "Imperial Cult" is that which is the name given to the phenomenon of the instance of great veneration of the Empire as manifested by every citizen of Fastheld, be they Noble or Freelander. Though not an actual religion or spiritual movement, every citizen of the Empire, as well as the various official establishments of the realm of the whole, seems to view the "Empire" as something more than a mere dominion ruled by a central power and government. Indeed, the level of devotion granted to the "Empire" would seem to suggest that the mere concept of the imperium is one that depicts the worship of a higher power; a power that is far greater than the sum of its parts and worth fighting for to the bitter end. Thus, "The Imperial Cult" is the term used to describe that wide-spread level of devotion and reverence within Fastheld for this entity that does not exist, yet remains a driving force in the life of the majority of the people that live within it. Imperial Cult